Ladies Encounter to feature Bible teacher

September 7, 2012

Shelli Prindle believes that while life can be messy, some day it will be glorious.

Prindle, founder and president of Hope & Passion Ministries Inc., will speak at the Ladies Encounter fall meeting. It is one of four annual events hosted by the central Pennsylvania organization to promote the gospel and Christian unity.

The fall meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 18 at Northern Bedford County High School, Route 36, Loysburg. Admission is free, but an offering will be taken.

Prindle, a former teacher and principal at a Christian school, is known for her ability to teach biblical concepts and help others to understand the meaning of Scripture and how it applies to their lives.

"I bring it down to everyday terms. People then get excited [about learning it]," she said.

She said the biggest compliment she can receive is for someone to tell her, "Shelli, after hearing you speak, I can learn the Word of God myself."

Fact Box

If you go

What: Ladies Encounter fall meeting

Who: Shelli Prindle of Hope & Passion Ministries Inc.

When: 7 p.m. Sept. 18

Where: Northern Bedford County High School, Loysburg

Admission: Free, an offering will be taken

Prindle of Irwin said she teaches people how to trace a theme through Scripture or learn how to apply a verse to their personal lives.

Through her message "From Messy to Glory," Prindle hopes to get the women to look beyond life's situations - whether it's being bogged down with everyday life or learning about disturbing events in the nation or world.

She said while it does not seem like it right now, the universe will function properly.

Her message is based on II Peter 3:13 which refers to a "new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness."

"We lose the big picture," she said. "God will right all the wrongs."

"If we live with that hope, we can move toward what is right and glorify God on a daily scale," Prindle said.

She said it is easy to live in mediocrity and not take time to focus on eternal things. People are to "fix their eyes on what is not seen, what is eternal," according to II Corinthians 4:16-18, she said.

Prindle, who has struggled with type I juvenile diabetes for 30 years, said when she has a difficult day, she has to keep in mind the big picture.

"My life is in his [God's] hands," she said.

After graduating from Seton Hill University, Prindle was a math and Bible teacher at a Christian school for 11 years and served as principal for three years. She also was a speaker for the Association of Christian Schools International.

At the Christian school, she led morning devotions for the teachers who encouraged her to take her speaking talent beyond the faculty room. She began her ministry the same year she earned a master's degree in educational leadership from Crown College in Minnesota and became a school principal.

Praise and worship for the event will be led by Pastor Joel Nogle of the Martinsburg Memorial Church of the Brethren.s.